Chapter 22: My Own Power

“――Huff!”

“Ya――!”

In the training grounds of the Rugen estate, Hyde and Enju were swinging wooden swords side by side.

Since Dolph had agreed to watch them after a long time, Enju, in particular, was putting extra effort into it.

“Ha, se!”
“Tiya!”

Imagining a virtual enemy, they unleashed the eight basic forms of swordsmanship in quick succession.
After delivering the final thrust, both of them exhaled deeply.

“Mm, both of you have improved again.”

Dolph, who had been watching over them, nodded and spoke.
Enju smiled happily, saying “Nihehe~.”

“Especially you, Hyde. Your progress is remarkable.”
“Me?”
“The difference between now and last week is like night and day. You no longer just swing the sword, you move your body as you grip it. Your awareness of that seems to have grown.”

Dolph’s analysis was spot on.

For the past two days, when fighting monsters as Shou, Hyde had been using his fists rather than a sword.

That was likely connected to the awareness Dolph was referring to.

“Now then, how about facing me in a match after a long time?”

“Huh?”

Hyde couldn’t help but flinch when Dolph rolled up his sleeves and went to grab a wooden sword.

“Weren’t you forbidden by Mother from training in a combat-style practice?”

“That’s because your swordsmanship hadn’t awakened yet. However, I’ve seen potential in your sword skills. Therefore, there’s no problem.”

(Th-this is ridiculous…)

A vivid trauma resurfaced in Hyde’s mind, recalling how Dolph had once beaten him senseless with a wooden sword.

“Father! I want to do it too!”

“Alright. After Hyde, I’ll face you as well.”

“Yay!”

While Enju bounced up and down joyfully, Hyde sighed.

However, it seemed there was no way to escape.

“Then, make your move.”

“…I will.”

He raised his wooden sword and faced his opponent head-on.

Then, he steeled himself—closing the distance to Dolph.

“Ha!”

His body felt heavier than when he used his skills.

The amount of information entering his mind was overwhelmingly less.

However, his understanding of where to swing the sword, which muscles to move, and what actions to focus on had improved compared to before.

“Hm!”

Dolph, eyes wide, caught the sharp swing from Hyde.

As the dry sound of the wooden swords echoed, Hyde immediately slid the blade and flowed his body to Dolph’s side.

“Ha!”

Using that momentum, he twisted his wrist and swung the wooden sword upward toward Dolph’s neck.

“Too weak!”

Dolph, wearing a grin as if he were enjoying himself, arched his upper body and dodged the blow.

Then, after creating some distance, he exhaled deeply.

“Now it’s my turn!”

Dolph, with his sturdy build, approached quickly.

Just that movement alone exuded immense pressure.

But,

(Compared to fighting monsters, this is nothing.)

Monsters literally target your life.

Although he had been overwhelming them with his skills, the fact remained that he had been exchanging his life for theirs.

Therefore, in this real-world combat… there was no reason to hesitate now.

“Fu—!”

The blow swung down toward him. Should he block it? No, he would lose in strength. Then, he would just dodge. Just dodging? That would be pointless. He had to drain the opponent’s momentum.

Yes. If it’s the [Guidance of the Martial god]…

“Huh?!”

He lowered his upper body and charged toward Dolph.

Dolph, perhaps caught off guard by the sudden approach, braced himself with his stepping foot, trying to halt his movement.

The mismatch between his upper and lower body’s motions. That brief moment of difference delayed Dolph’s response to Hyde’s attack.

“Ha—!!”

Hyde swiftly swung his wooden sword up from his side.

As Dolph was forced to stop abruptly, his body had leaned forward from the shift in his balance. Hyde’s sword headed straight for Dolph’s unguarded chest.

“—[Swordsmanship]”

“…!!”

What seemed like an open target for Hyde’s strike was suddenly interrupted by Dolph’s wooden sword, cutting through with an unnatural speed due to his skill.

Hyde, who had made a reckless charge, found himself in a vulnerable position and was struck by Dolph’s counterattack.

“You’ve really improved, Hyde. I didn’t think I’d be forced to use a skill. …In terms of pure swordsmanship, you’ve already surpassed me.”

Dolph’s words of praise carried a faint trace of pity.

It seemed he was thinking, If only his skill had awakened sooner…

Sensing this, Hyde bowed his head and said, “Thank you.”

“Brother, you’re amazing! I knew you were strong!”

“Ha ha, thanks.”

Hyde smiled at Enju, who cheered for him as if it were her own accomplishment, but his heart wasn’t light.

When he is Hyde, he strives not to use skills, which would give him an undeserved power.

On the other hand, he doesn’t slack off in his sword training.

This is because he feels a sense of guilt for relying too much on his younger sister, Enju.

At the very least, he has made an effort not to neglect his own development and to hone his strength.

However,

(In this fight, I didn’t use any skills, but I feel like I’m pulling the right moves… as if I’m finding the correct answers.)

Was the swordsmanship that allowed him to fight on equal terms with Dolph his own power, or was it the power of the skill?

He felt unable to make a clear judgment on that.

　◆ ◆ ◆

It seems that Cordelia had heard about Hyde’s practical training.

After dinner, Hyde returned to his room, feeling a little sympathy for Dolph, who was still being scolded. He finished preparing for bed and sent the maid away.

Then, he activated [Clay Doll of the Divine Realm] and flew out of the mansion.

“Is there really a shop open at this hour?”

Today, he had made a promise to go buy equipment with Helene.

Whether they would be able to delve into a dungeon afterward would depend on the time.

The guards at the city wall had already memorized his face, so his time entering the town had been significantly shortened.

Since he also remembered the way to the guild hall, there was no chance of getting lost.

Before long, the guild hall came into view.

“Oh, Helene.”

There, standing at the entrance of the hall, was Helene.

Hyde hurriedly ran over.

“Sorry, did I make you wait?”

“No, I just got here.”

“Good. Thank you for guiding me today.”

“Yep.”

Helene nodded, looking somewhat pleased, and then pointed down the path opposite where Hyde had come from.

“The shop is this way.”

Saying that, she started walking, and Hyde quickly joined her side.

As they left the guild hall, the number of lights started to dwindle.

Occasionally, laughter could be heard, probably coming from a tavern.

In this world, without electricity, the only ways to keep the night illuminated are with candles, fireplaces, or mana stones as light sources.

But all of these are undeniably expensive.

Once the sun sets, people typically stay inside their homes and go to bed early.

That is the basic way of life in this world.

That’s why it seemed unlikely that a shop would be open at this time, yet there was no hesitation in Helene’s steps.

“Is something wrong?”

When Hyde felt a gaze and looked over, he found Helene peering at him from behind her hood.

“No, it’s nothing.”

As she shook her head, her voice was faintly excited.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter